


The Rat & the Monster

by Otherwise_Uncolonized



Category: Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Acceptance, Accidental Bonding, Accidental Relationship, Ambiguous Relationships, Angst, Arguing, Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Blackmail, Canon Crossover, Canonical Character Death, Chauvinism, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Demiromantic, Demisexuality, Denial of Feelings, Discrimination, Disney, Disney Movies, Disney Multiverse, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Infidelity, Emotionally Repressed, Ethnocentrism, F/M, Falling In Love, False Accusations, Friendship/Love, Government Conspiracy, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Introspection, Limbo, Love Triangle, Marriage, One-Sided Attraction, Politics, Post-Canon, Post-Frozen (2013), Relationship Problems, Romantic Friendship, Royalty, Running Away, Secret Crush, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Acceptance, Self-Denial, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Reflection, The Southern Isles, Unrequited Love, Unrequited Lust, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2018-03-18 19:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3581826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otherwise_Uncolonized/pseuds/Otherwise_Uncolonized
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><span class="u">@()xxx[{:::::::::::::::::::::></span>

</p><p>Eugene is a reformed outlaw.<br/>
Elsa is a reformed exile.<br/>
Anna and Rapunzel are the pillars in between, but sometimes they aren't enough.<br/>
<i>"There is a rat in Corona's castle and a monster on Arendelle's throne."</i><br/>
Discrimination and conspiracies have spared neither Prince Eugene nor the Queen Elsa from vilification.<br/>
Even as they try to be strong for their loved ones, their eyes are forced open to their past mistakes. 

</p><p>
  <b>(Queen Elsa x Prince Eugene x Princess Rapunzel)</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude

 

 

༺ **[** ❄ **]** **༻** ♕༺ **[** ☀ **]** ༻   

_"Redemption is something you have to fight for in a very personal, down-dirty way."  
**~Joss Whedon**_

 

 

**_"Once a rat, always a rat, and once a monster, always a monster."_**

**Can either ex-outlaw overcome the dilemma of being diminished to labels?**  
**Or will the past rear up like a tidal wave and sweep them away from their futures?**  
**Will they run away again to reclaim the autonomy they once pined after?**

* * *

_"Oh, good heavens. The Prince of Thieves and the Queen of Beasts."_

_"Which one is the worst sort?"_

_"They are matched in disrepute because they have both proven themselves to be incapable of a stable moral conscience._ _How can anyone believe that they suddenly had a change in nature just because they want to be 'likable' now? The world won't forget what they are and did, so they will eventually succumb to old habits once they feel unaccepted enough, which was the entire reason for their falls from grace the first time. "_

_"It's blasphemous even if they don't. An expert thief of illegitimate birth and a destructive conjurer should not be given immunity, let alone a seat within royal ranks."_


	2. That Time of Year

Whenever King Frederic smiles, his eyes crinkle up into half-moons, and the crow's feet around them remind Eugene of the sun rays in Rapunzel's sketches. It is King Frederic's eyes, Eugene thinks, that have always put him at ease.

Until now.

"Aren-delle..." —His voice vibrates through the study halls like a Chinese drum, going down in him vein after vein. "It has always been described as the 'land of wealth,' where 'riches flow from across the sea.'"

His narration grows light and breathy with a touch of humor, but Eugene feels, to his own chuckling discomfort, that the statement is made to bait him out somehow. He clears his throat, shifts his eyes, and stretches his collar with a nervous grin.

"The stones embroidered in Rapunzel's crown were from King Olaf III himself. A gift — of sorts — after the war with King Ignatius of the Southern Isles."

Eugene watches the Coronian king's lips move to the memory as he invites himself to peek down his own nose at the map that is rolled out between them.

"Lonely looking, isn't it?" The king hums as he smiles at the squiggles and scrawls shaping Arendelle's land mass, giving its inked hills and painted mountains a look of misty-eyed affection. "Yet I think of it to be such a delightful place... _cool_ , on occasion, but delightful on every; the seasons had just the right humidity, and the king carried a generous amount of warmth. I wish I could have attended his daughter's coronation personally. Were you ever acquainted with it before you attended Queen Elsa's coronation?"

...Eugene pops his head up to stare at the monarch with bulging eyeballs and stapled lips.

The laugh lines around the man's mouth move before he raises his chin. "With the kingdom of _Arendelle_ , that is."

"...N—No!" The voice Eugene wheezes out made him sound like his entire body is sandwiched between two whales.  "No- _ho_ , ab-so-lute-ly not—...I mean, 'course I've — I'd _heard_ of it — and I _might've_...had my _visitations_ once or twice once upon a time, but—..." His chuckles come to a stop.

The Coronian king's face is as warm as it is whenever he watches Rapunzel fumble. They are by all means the most unaccusing eyes Eugene has ever seen. The aged fellow makes a show out of cocking an eyebrow and adding playfully, " _Only,_ once or twice?"

Eugene wiggles the fingers that are folded behind his back. "Arendelle's—..." He rocks on the balls of his heels, bobbing his head from side to side, and then faces the king with a hangdog smile: "...— _nice_ this time of year."

The king blinks, seemingly unaffected. "I see." A jolly, good-natured grin pops out of him as he hunches his shoulders and pretends to whisper like a child, "With a grand inventory of _adventures_ to be undertaken, I'm sure."

The corner of Eugene's mouth hitches up. He abandons the tension in his posture and 'teh-ed' at his shoes, looking up to smile sheepishly back. "...Almost a whole archive, Your Royal Majesty."

"Well, then! Queen Elsa has always fancied a good story or two — so long as you retell it after her state dinner, of course."

"......I beg your pardon?" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ## AUTHOR NOTE
> 
> * * *
> 
> I always thought it was unrealistic for Eugene and Elsa to be welcomed into royalty without a lot of dissension. Their misguided actions, after all, still happened, and other monarchs, including their own natives and politicians, weren't there to witness their true characters when the scenarios with Anna and Rapunzel took place. Popular opinions should've entailed Eugene embezzling, conning, and exploiting the Coronian house as a prince, and Elsa once again "dooming the lands" with sorcery. It's an inescapable setup for prejudice via ignorance, is it not? Although the cathartic compassion will be the marrow, the plot does orbit around _Rapunzel x Eugene x Elsa_ , so that building undercurrent will be on the frontier of this story _(do not expect cliched friction, however)_.
> 
> In hindsight, the judgmental perceptions outsiders have of their reputations ultimately put a strain on both Corona's and Arendelle's relationships with their allies, who are not only mistrusting of Eugene and Elsa, but of Rapunzel's parents and Arendelle's regime. That chaos opens up the frequency waves for a supportive friendship to build, along with the platform for some "mixed" chemistry.
> 
> EDIT: I have changed the king's name to "Frederic" because of TBEA, even though that show is canon-divergent (and has blatantly misinterpreted almost everything in Tangled, specifically Eugene). Instead of it being **Wicked** , what inspired this plot line is the video called [[D I S T A N C E] ♕ (Queen Elsa x Prince Eugene x Princess Rapunzel) ](http://youtu.be/n0x9LjP0oeg)


	3. Old Habits

Prince Eugene, who would become the next King of Corona if the royal line collapsed, is the classic example of a reformed man who is unable to evict his old habits. Whether it is the habit of making sure her guests know that he is the best thing since sliced bread, reprising the story of how he died for love, wooing female listeners with his witty spiel, or making catchphrases out of Shakespeare quotes, he delivers the same toothy grin that he flashed on Corona's wanted posters. The folded hands behind his back evince his domestication, and the sun brooch on his golden sash flashes his transformation, but he still wears old habits. What he does not wear is fear at the first sign of criticism:

"We were  _just_  chinwagging about you, Your Highness."

"Well, that's awfully kind of you, Ambassador. Normally, you're screaming about me."

Duchesses would giggle behind their silk gloves, secretly taken with his boldness like most women were, but their husbands scoffed and grunted. Prince Eugene makes a habit out of teasing, daring, and one-upping his belittlers smirkingly, letting their insults ricochet off his  _devil-may-care_  armor like swords striking a frozen lake. It is only when "real princes" ignore his participation in causeries that he becomes awkward, puppy-eyed, and lost like a forgotten child, which emboldens him to overcome his invisibility by stealing the spotlight...oftentimes at his own expense. These habits don't distract society from  _"what he really is,"_  and that, in the eye of such society, is  _"a rat who stole a tiara and landed himself in prison with a justifiable death sentence."_

His sunny wife, when in attendance, would knock her shoulder against his to nudge him out of his blue funk. He'd thank her by pulling her side against his waist, rubbing her arm, and sighing with a puff of relief that said,  _"Here is my Messiah"_  ― his one angel in the hellfire ― the only angel who  _mattered_. Alas, something in his smile made Elsa recognize its superficiality. The opinions of Europe did matter, because threats were not imaginary nooses. Prince Eugene's smile both pitied his wife's efforts for the fact that she could not completely empathize with the consequences of his alienation and cherished the fact that she never would. Although "different" in the way that Anna was different, the sun princess was the person that society genuinely wanted.

Not him.

Arendelle's snow queen is auto-piloted by her habits, too. Be it the habit of making sure that her guests think she's the sweetest thing since chocolate fondue, reprising the story of how she was reborn by love, wooing children with her snowflakes, or making sonnets out of René Descartes'  _"Passions of the Soul,"_  she delivers the same people-pleasing smile that she debuted on coronation day. The slit in her gown flaunts her indocility, and her gloveless fingers evince her transformation, but she still wears old habits. What she does not wear is fearlessness at the first sign of hesitation.

"Your raiment is so… _innovative_ , Your Majesty. I've never seen such a wonderful design in all my years of sewing."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but I have to admit that it can be rather inconvenient at times."

Duchesses would giggle in her face, secretly disgusted by her "boldness" like many women were, but their husbands sighed and gawked. Most whispered about her hands behind her back. Feared for her regression. Blasphemed her "godless nature." She makes a habit out of facing, educating, and converting her belittlers smilingly, letting any unbendable opinions float in her mind like sand in a water glass, where they would then cloud her thoughts with their filth. It is only when "real queens" ignore her invitations that she becomes inwards, sunken-browed, and neurotic, which causes her to avoid visibility by shutting several doors on the world, oftentimes at Anna's expense. These habits don't distract society from  _"what she really is,"_ and that, in the eye of such society, is  _"a witch who chucked her crown and landed herself in prison with a justifiable death sentence."_

Anna, when awake, used to make her afternoons sunnier by whisking her away from her thoughts and into a waltz of laughter. She'd thank her by returning the iron-grip, grinning wider than Olaf, and laughing in a warble of relief that sang, " _Here is my heroin_ e" ― her one angel in the hellfire ― the only angel who  _mattered_. Alas, the cancellation of treaties that had been signed before Elsa's accession made her fret over how superficial the bromide was. The opinions of Europe did matter, because threats were not imaginary crossbows. Her smile both pitied her sister's efforts for the fact that she could not completely empathize with the consequences of her estrangement and cherished the fact that she never would. Although "different" in the way that Rapunzel was different, the sunflower princess was the person society genuinely liked.

Not her.

And thus, out of habit, she was forced to remind her sister that simple-mindedness doesn't solve hard problems, which meant no more waltzes at state dinners. Tonight, she will be forced to waltz alone, as an outsider who must move mountains to make society comfortable with her inhabitation, but her tribulation was about to be shared with an unlikely ally.

"Tough crowd, huh?" The words are sardined into a hot murmur that spiders up Elsa's nape.

Her hand flies and lands on her collarbone, the other managing to stop her aquavit from spilling onto her dress.

Big brown eyes catch her flinch but don't acknowledge it. They're worn with a smirk that accouters a face full of self-satisfaction.

Wide blue eyes dart to the side before darting back to him, blinking twice. Elsa forges a grin that looks tense in one corner. "Ah… _ahem_ …it's, ah―"

"A little cold."

Elsa's expression pancakes.

Eugene's smirk falls off. " _Oh_. No. Uh." The reality that Rapunzel's father expects him to make  _good impressions_  on queens who could debar Corona from Arendelle's trade routes seems to drop on his head like an anvil. "... _I_  didn't, um...aheh! I, I,  _I_  wasn't saying that because  _you_  were cold, since I don't have first hand  _experience_  with knowing what you… _feel_ …like…"

"…" Elsa's eyebrow raised, complementing her smirk.

Eugene stretches his collar away from his Adam's apple and grins helplessly. "Is it  _hot_  in here ta' you all of the sudden?"

Her lips push back against the smirk that's progressively lighting up her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually half of a one-shot that was written two years ago. I found it in my deviantART stash and thought to splice it onto "The Rat & the Monster," just for nostalgia's sake.


End file.
